NBC 7's Derek Togerson takes a look at a question on the minds of Chargers fans in this commentary
There are plenty of people upset about the Chargers moving to Los Angeles. In fact as the realization that the team is, indeed, heading north, several fans have voiced their desire to somehow find a way to keep the logo and name “Chargers” in San Diego.
There is such a hatred of Los Angeles-area franchises, from the years the Raiders were there and the long history of battles between the Padres and Dodgers, that people who grew up loving the Bolts simply don’t want to see the Chargers name next to the words “Los Angeles.”
In fact folks have even inquired as to whether or not the team can sue the Chargers and/or Chairman Dean Spanos to keep the name in San Diego when the team leaves for L.A. In a Twitter poll asking if Bolts fans would support a lawsuit against the team to keep the Chargers name and logo in San Diego, forcing them to rebrand themselves in L.A., 73% of the 1,162 people who voted said yes they would.
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Of course that begs the question of whether or not there is a legal avenue to force the Spanos family to do that. Several fans have already started looking in to the possibility. Speaking of fans, the ones in Los Angeles have not been terribly receptive to the thought of the Chargers heading to their town, either.
Several media members and marketing experts have said it would be in the team’s best interest to change its name and start fresh in its new home market. However, that does not look like it’s going to happen.
“We are listening to our fans,” said Chargers President of Business Operations A.G. Spanos. “We want to hear from them. That’s the only way we are going to win the hearts and minds here. But that is not on the table. We want to be the Chargers.”
I believe it was Mick Jagger who said “You can’t always get what you want but if you try sometimes you might find you get what you need.”
The owners of the newest football team in Los Angeles might not want to change to name but they need to, for their sake and to show just one shred of respect to the fans they abandoned in San Diego.
